Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s first night in an NBA uniform came with a little bit of everything: a rough shooting line, a steady playmaking performance, and a reminder of why the San Antonio Spurs used the 42nd pick on him last week.
The former Tennessee guard started for San Antonio in Friday night’s California Classic opener and logged 29 minutes in an 88-87 loss to the Miami Heat. The shot wasn’t falling - Gillespie finished with 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting and went 2-of-8 from three - but he kept the Spurs’ offense moving and filled up the box score in other ways.
He finished with a game-high eight assists and just one turnover, along with four rebounds and three steals.
Gillespie is sharing summer league space with two more former Vols, Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic Jr., though neither took the floor in San Antonio’s opener.
San Antonio selected Gillespie after its run to the NBA Finals this past season, and the rookie arrives with one strong college season already on his résumé. In one year at Tennessee, he averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds, earned All-SEC honors and helped push the Vols back to the Elite Eight for the third straight season.
At 6-foot, Gillespie brings deep shooting range and a knack for finishing at the rim with balance. He shot 41% from the field, 34% from beyond the arc and 81% at the foul line during his lone season in Knoxville, and he’s a 36% career three-point shooter.
He also showed up when the stakes were highest. In Tennessee’s four NCAA Tournament games, Gillespie averaged 21.8 points and 5.3 assists, capping his college run with his best basketball in March.
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Tennessees 2026 outlook already has the feel of a season that will ask a lot of the Vols before it even gets to the fall. The quarterback picture is still unsettled, with a redshirt freshman, a five-star freshman and a transfer with starting experience all in the mix, and that kind of competition can be healthy until it becomes a sign that nobody has taken control. There is also real concern up front on defense, where depth on the line is tight enough to make every injury or setback feel magnified.
The schedule only sharpens the pressure. Tennessee is headed into a nine-game SEC slate, and the home-and-away mix is not forgiving, with Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky and LSU coming to Knoxville and trips to Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt waiting on the road. For a team trying to sort out its quarterback and protect a thin defensive front, that kind of path leaves little margin for early-season growing pains. [Read more 🡒]